Photos courtesy of Augusta University

It’s late May and the view from Dr. Brooks Keel’s office is somewhat subdued. With summer approaching and the academic year winding down, the bustle of activity at Augusta University’s Health Science campus has slowed considerably. It is, for the university where Dr. Keel has served as president since 2015, a time of transition. 

It’s a similar vibe inside the office. In a few weeks, Keel will have left the post behind where he oversaw so much significant change and, after more than 40 years in research and higher education administration, begin his retirement. While there are still tasks to be completed, appointments to be met and kept, and guidance to be offered, the work of saying goodbye has begun. 

The office, once bristling with the artifacts and ephemera of a career spent encouraging the pursuit of knowledge, is less crowded. Picture hooks have been relieved of their frames and personal items packed away. Still, Dr. Keel continues to don the dapper suits that have become a trademark and make his way to this office. He is still dedicated to the university where he counts himself among the proud alumni. He admits, however, that his next steps, which include moving with his wife Dr. Tammie Schalue to the Florida Keys, are where his future attention is focused. 

“Flip-flops are not my style, but other than that, we are really going for it,” he says laughing. “It’s going to be, as my dad would say, like sawing off a log. People ask if I will consult. No, I will not. I would never quit the best job I have ever had just to take on another.” 

Dr. Keel noted that the job of being a university president is more than merely administrative. He said there is an element of living life as a public figure that comes with the territory. He recalled a media report, filed not long after accepting the Augusta University job, that marveled at the fact that he and his wife had been seen taking out their own trash. He said that sort of scrutiny will not be missed. “We are ready to go someplace where we can be anonymous,” he admits. “We are ready to live our lives outside the limelight.”

Dr. Keel said cutting ties cleanly and with real intention is important to him. It isn’t because he doesn’t hold the university in the very highest regard, nor that he is ready to leave Augusta behind, but rather, it is in service to Augusta University and the community.

“Let’s face it, the next person to sit in this office — and the person after that and the person after that — is not going to want some guy who once had the job looking over their shoulder. It’s a job you really have to make your own. That’s something I hope I have done. It was certainly my goal.”

Significant accomplishments under Dr. Keel’s Leadership include the founding of:

• School of Computer and Cyber Science

• Augusta University Online

• School of Public Health

• Transdisciplinary Research Initiative in Inflammaging and Brain Aging

• Immunology Center of Georgia

• Medical College of Georgia Partnership Campus in Savannah

• College of Sciences and Mathematics Building

• Expanded research space at the M. Bert Storey Cancer Research Building

Dr. Keel, who was born in Augusta, graduated from the Academy of Richmond County and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science in biology from what was then Augusta College. He received his Ph.D. in reproductive endocrinology from the Medical College of Georgia, attending classes not far from the president’s office. His ties to Augusta are deep and, although he is leaving his academic life behind, they will continue to inform the person he has become. 

“We will always be a part of Augusta,” he says with a trace of wistfulness. “It’s in our DNA. And yes, we will come back to Augusta frequently. But when we do come back, I won’t necessarily be coming back to campus.”

Despite his personal roots in the community, Dr. Keel said his decision to take the Augusta University job was more professional than sentimental. When the post became available, he said he was attracted to the possibilities it presented more than his ties to the school and city.

“There was, of course, always that attraction to it, but at the time I was the President at Georgia Southern and really thought that was as close to returning to Augusta as we would get.” What influenced him, he said, was the potential for change — both specifically in terms of the institution and generally in terms of the community — he saw in Augusta. Only a few years had passed since what was then called Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia had merged to become Georgia Regents University – a name change that had proven quite controversial. He saw the newly merged school as almost a startup — a new institution with a rare opportunity to forge a new future. “The truth is, I would have jumped at this job had it been almost anywhere,” he remarks.

For the full article, pick up our August/September 2024 issue on stands.